Terms Used In South Carolina Code 44-11-70

  • Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
The Department of Mental Health may employ law enforcement officers as may be necessary to maintain the security of state mental health facilities. The law enforcement officers must be vested with all the powers and charged with all the duties of police officers generally. They may, without warrant, arrest persons guilty of disorderly conduct or of trespass on state mental health facilities and have them tried in any court of competent jurisdiction.